My last blog was “Woh Shaam Kuchh Ajeeb Thi!” It means, that evening was something different. So let me maintain continuity: “Yeh Shaam Bhi Ajeeb Hai…” This evening is also something different. These lines are from a popular Bollywood song sung by Kishore Kumar.

Last blog was about Swami Vivekananda, a special post on His birthday. His disciple named Sister Nivedita described an evening when she met her Guru Swami Vivekanada. “Voh Kal Bhi Paas Pass The, Voh Aaj Bhi Kareeb Hai…” Yes, those days also we had Guru, like Swami Vivekanand and today we have Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji, a spiritual master for the new millennium and founder of “The Art of Living”

So today I will share videos about Satsang in the presence of the Master – the Guru. Satsang means sitting close together in the Knowledge. Here you can enjoy some melodious hymns (BHAJANS), dancing people and some witty talk, knowledge, full of wisdom and practical guidance for day to day issue of our lives. Here it goes:

I am sure you will like these videos. Some people thanked me for sharing these videos from across the globe. Some people subscribed to my YouTube channel “pmanish”. This list will be keep on updating, as and when I upload new videos. So you may like to bookmark this page.

I will post some special article about Valentines Days poem, open source love-latter in month of February. A nice article “Concave Mirror” is in the queue.

I have vast reading. Among all the books I read, I liked this paragraph very much. An afternoon/evening description. Today I want to share this to all of you. Which book? Author? Where? When? All these questions will be addressed later. First just read this.

"... Thetime was a cold Sunday afternoon in November, and the place, it is true, a West-end drawingroom. But he was seated, facing a halfcircle of listeners, with the fire on thehearth behind him, and as he answered question after question, breaking now andthen into the chanting of some Sanskrit text in illustration of his reply, the scene musthave appeared to him, while twilight passed into darkness, only as a curious variant uponthe Indian garden, or on the group of hearers gathered at sundown round the Sadhu whosits beside the well, or under the tree outsidethe village-bounds.

" Never again in England did I see the Swami, as a teacher, in such simple fashion. Later, he was always lecturing, or the questions he answeredwere put with formality by members of larger audiences. Only this first time wewere but fifteen or sixteen guests, intimate friends, many of us, and he sat amongst us,in his crimson robe and girdle, as one bringing us news from a far land, with a curioushabit of saying now and again "Shiva ! Shiva !" and wearing that look of mingledgentleness and loftiness, that one sees on the faces of those who live much in meditation, that look, perhaps, that Raphael has paintedfor us, on the brow of the Sistine Child...

"That afternoon is now ten years ago, and;fragments only of the talk come back to me. But never to be forgotten are the Sanskritverses that he chanted for us, in those wonderful Eastern tones, at once so reminiscentof, and yet so different from, the Gregorian music of our own churches..."

Excerpts from the book "The Master as I Saw Him: Being Pages from the Life of the Swami Vivekananda. London: Longmans; Calcutta: Ubodhan Office, Bagh Bazar." by Sister Nivedita(Margaret Elizabeth Noble)Yes, it was an evening/afternoon more than a century ago. November 1895. Still it is as fresh as like yesterday. I read it in my school days in my mother tongue (Gujarati) . I could locate it today, that credit goes to Google

Today is Swami Vivekananda's birthday. I read his short biography in Gujarati during school days for speech competition. The above paragraph is from that book.

So on his birthday let's all pray that we blessed with The Master's eternal practical wisdom. So that we can Express our true self. Let's cultivate those good qualities of Swami Vivekanda in us. I think, exhibit is appropriate word not cultivate. We already have those qualities. Remember my earlier post? Groundnut?

Let's begin this year with a nice poem named "DIN HUVA Begin...!" It means the day had begun. It was a popular programme on FM channel 'Radio Mirchi' at Ahmedabad. This name inspired me to express my thoughts about when our day starts. The Gujarati version was translated in Hindi and Kannda languages too.

And yes, here is English translation for all of my International readers.

The Day Begun

What do you think? When our day usually start?When Hanee says "Good Morning" to us on Radio Mirchi?When the newspaper boy brings newspaper for us?When the milkman brings milk on his bycycle for us? When the roster sings "Koooookade Koook"?When the sky is painted with reddish orange color of early moring?When the flowers blossoms in garden? When AARTI ritual is performed at temple?Oh! yes when we listen to "SU-PRABHTAM" chanting by ShubhaLakshmi?

No! No! No!

Oh! ??? !!!

Then when day starts?Let's listen to our inner-selves. Intuition. The day begins when....When we wake up from sleep. When we have enthusiasm to do our work. When our heart is full of good wishesWhen our lives get proper directionWhen our minds beome sacred... like a temple and the almighty started staying there.

The day can begin...Anytime....Anywhere...

So for this new year 2009, I wish that in your life, the true begining of day happened.

How is this poem? Let me know your feedback. Few years back, I presented this poem to a R.J. named Hanee working at Radio Mirchi Ahmedabad. It was broadcasted with melodious music from starting of the song "KASAME VAADE NIBHAAYEGE HAM..." in background. Sometime I will share details of my Kannada interview at Radio City Bangalore with R.J. Vasanthi Hariprakash. So stay tune to this blog. Remain enthusiastic for your creative and innovative ideas. All the best for all your dreams to realize in this year 2009.